Saturday afternoon saw Bayern Munich in better shape than I was after our respective trips to Madrid. And while it wasn't the most organized or exciting 90 minutes of football witnessed this season, it was a lovely way to send off Hans-Joerg Butt. Retiring from competition after these next three matches, Butt managed a clean sheet in front of a full house at the Allianz.

11:21 PM - Estadio Bernabeu. Bastian Schweinsteiger sends Iker Casillas the wrong way, and sends Bayern Munich home to the Champions League final. And I promptly burst in to tears.

Even now, back in Florida, sitting in front of my laptop, I can't quite believe it's happened. Although I was certainly feeling confident - enough to travel to Madrid - the reality of it all has not quite sunk in. We are going to the final! It still seems like a dream. Wow. Wow. Wow.

"There's one perfect fit / And, sugar, this one is it / We both are so excited / Cause we're reunited, hey hey" - "Reunited" by Peaches & Herb.

The fist-bump between Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery after the Frenchman scored the match winner against Werder Bremen on Saturday had me singing that seminal 70's anthem. The two mercurial wingers had gotten in to a half-time-locker-room bust-up over a free kick during the first leg of the Champions League semi-final. After the match, Arjen sported a mini-shiner while the battle news slowly, but inexorably, leaked out. And then the pundits began: "Arjen looks for move away from Munich", "Robben's future in doubt", and other headlines I'm paraphrasing here. Franck received a 50,000 Euro fine. And then Juventus put a paltry offer on the table which Arjen politely declined.

So, now that we've got that pesky "we can win the Bundesliga" attitude out of the way, we can concentrate on prettier trophies. Besides, who wants that big old ugly plate you can't drink beer out of, when you can have two massively-sized vessels to imbibe from? To me, it's a no-brainer. Duh. Oh, wait. I'm supposed to be serious because this is a VERY. BIG. MATCH. However, this season, when I try to be serious, things go awry for Bayern Munich, so I will try a different tack and see where that gets die Roten.

When asked by a reporter if his team had been postionally out-played, Scottish football manager Gordon Strachan succintly replied, "Yes, we were outplayed in certain parts of the field today, the big green area of it". My purpose for injecting a bit of humor in to what was a dark day for legions of Bayern Munich supporters around the world is simple: Borussia Dortmund played better football than we did.

The German press has said it all: "The Game of Games", "Festival of Football", "A Game We Love", "The Moment of Truth". And indeed, Wednesday's "Clash of the Titans" will live up to its moniker. Bayern Muenchen and Borrusia Dortmund have dominated the Bundesliga over the past few seasons, and this year is no different. A win against BvB would see Bayern level on points- and a superior goal differential- with only four matches remaining. A loss would would almost certainly take Bayern out of the running to hoist the big, ugly gold plate at season's end, and dash their hopes of a possible treble.

Wins against Olympique de Marseille in Champions League action last Wednesday and the 184th Bavarian Derby over Nuernberg on Saturday are showing a different side of Bayern Munich. While the wholesale slaughter of Hertha BSC, FC Basel and Hoffenheim were oh-so-fun to witness, the last few matches- unnerving at times- are proving a will and determination to win. Even when things aren't going our way.

Susie Schaaf is a footie-obsessed German-American with a Brazilian passport. She promises to be completely biased whilst eliciting as many chuckles from you as she can. When she’s not writing, you can find her pouring pints at her local or on an airplane to anywhere. If you’d like to swear at or praise her, she can be reached at susie.schaaf@gmail.com